Compounds of Living Things
The micro and macromolecules that
make up living things
All compounds are classified as either:
A. Organic Compounds:
– Contain Carbon
• Ex: Human beings, DNA, Proteins
B. Inorganic Compounds:
– do not contain carbon (except CO2)
• Ex: Water, salt, soil
Linking two or more Compounds
Together
• Polymerization!!
–Definition:
taking smaller
compounds and
joining them
together to make
bigger compounds
The Four Compounds of Life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids
All contain two or
more of 4 elements:
Hydrogen, Oxygen,
Carbon, and Nitrogen
**all are organic AND carbon-containing
1. Carbohydrates
• Discuss with your table
partner about where you
have heard this term before
1. Carbohydrates
• Made up of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen
(1:2:1 ratio)
• Used as energy!!
1. Carbohydrates (continued)
• Sugars and starches
– Simple sugars: monosaccharides
• Ex: glucose
– Two simple sugars: disaccharides
– Complex sugars: polysaccharides
polymers
Linking two or more simple
sugars
• Known as
Dehydration
Synthesis
Definition: Linking two
simple sugars together
by removing a water
molecule
Breaking two or more simple sugars
• Known as HYDROLYSIS
– Definiton: Breaking two simple sugars apart by
adding in a water molecule
The Two Work Together….
2. Lipids
• Discuss with your table partner about
where you have heard this term before
2. Lipids
• Organic compounds that are waxy and oily
• Are used to store energy, form biological
membranes, and as chemical messengers
• Often formed by a glycerol molecule
combining with fatty acids
3. Proteins
• Discuss with your table partner about
where you have heard this term before
3. Proteins
• Organic compounds that
contain nitrogen in
addition to carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen
• Made up of building
blocks called amino acids
• Amino acids are linked
together (via dehydration
synthesis) by a covalent
bond known as a “peptide
bond”
Amino Acids
Amino Group
Hydrogen
Carboxyl
Group
“R” Group –
different for
every amino
acid
20 Amino Acids
Proteins are so multi-functional…
• Carry out chemical reactions (enzymes)
• Pump small molecules in and out of cells
(membrane proteins)
• Cell Movement (cilia and flagella)
Enzymes
• The most major class
of proteins
• Catalysts: speed up
the rate of a chemical
reaction
– Not changed by the
reaction
– Lower the “start-up”
energy required for
reactions
– Substrates bind to active
sites that are extremely
specific!
4. Nucleic Acid
• Discuss with your table
partner about where you
have heard this term before
4. Nucleic Acids
• Large, complex organic
molecules composed
of carbon, oxygen,
hydrogen, nitrogen,
and phosphorous
atoms
• Two kinds: RNA and
DNA
– Both store and transmit
genetic information
4. Nucleic Acids (continued)
• Building blocks of these
polymers are called
nucleotides
• nucleotides contain
three parts:
– Nitrogen base
– A phosphate group
– 5-carbon sugar
• Nucleotides are linked
together by covalent
bonds to form Nucleic
Acids
With your notes and Chap 2-3 fill
out the chart the best you can
Compound of
life
1.
carbohydrates
Made of
CHO
2.
lipids
3.
protein
4.
Nucleic Acid
CHO
HONC
PONCH
Monomers
polymers
Monosaccharide:
Ex: glucose,
fructose,
galactose
Polysaccharides:
ex: starches,
complex sugars
Fatty acids and
glycerol
Waxes, fats,
oils, steroids
Amino Acids
nucleotides
Chains of amino
acids: Muscle
proteins
DNA
RNA
I Call this the Cho-cho-honc-ponch chart to help you organize and
remember the 4 compounds of life.